Staying healthy in this line of work?

[JaneB]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for some tips on how you stay healthy while working in Childcare and also for a second opinion on whether I should continue to work in the field or not.

This is my third year in the industry and since the beginning I have just been sick all through it. One thing after another, I still continue to get bad viral infections, stomach sicknesses from gastro and other infections and just generally not feeling well. Sometimes I cannot even go two weeks without coming down with something. I have been to the doctors and explained that I cannot stop getting sick and ask for different methods that I can use to prevent it but they brush me off and tell me to take some anti-biotics (which I do) and say that it is expected in the industry I work in and that sickness just spreads very easily but this doesn't really help me! I don't blame them of course they have done some simple blood tests and despite being low in iron at one point they see no need for concern. It is just getting to the point where I am feeling terrible, like a terrible educator, terrible co-worker. I was told that sickness is bad in the first year..
My lead educator whom I have worked with for two of the three years tells me not to worry and focus on getting better and praises me for working so hard when I am at work but I don't feel like this is enough. When I expressed my concerns to some staff I feel like they just tell me what I want to hear (if you're sick then you're sick, that's not your fault) but I feel like this doesn't really help me as I want to be good at my job and not unreliable. I am starting to doubt myself and wonder if I should even bother continuing to be a childcare educator... I really wanted to do my Diploma and perhaps go into primary school teaching or even high school teaching in the future but I just don't know if I want to keep feeling this crap about letting everyone down. My previous boss (He has gone on to be an Ops Manager) told me he can see how much of passionate person I am and they kept me after my trainee ship even though they technically didn't have any room for another staff member and expressed that he thought I was such a hard and dedicated worker that I could be a centre manager one day if I worked hard enough for it... But I am just not feeling it. Being sick and letting everyone down is just making me feel upset and unworthy. Sorry to drone on I just have not really been able to talk to anyone about my worries.

So please, any tips or suggestions for daily medications that you take in order to keep well. I do take some pills to hopefully boost my immune system but I still seem to get sick. I practice good hygiene and follow the centre practices and policies on ways to minimise spreading germs but I am a very hands on worker. I love getting down and dirty with the kids during experiences and give cuddles and will be on the floor rolling around and playing with the kids so even though I encourage children to use good hygiene and cover their mouths, when they sneeze or cough they do cough on me and I suspect I get a lot of germs on me from this. I see other educators standing around and not supervising and talking and I don't want to be like that and I could never imagine not playing with the kids and being down on their level etc so I don't know.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated by me.

[Lorina]

You do sound like a very passionate educator which is so good to hear! It sounds like the children have a lot of fun with you and you have a lot of fun with them as well! Getting sick is frustrating, especially when you have to constantly call to work and let them know your sick AGAIN! It happens you know but it seems like it's happening a lot to you... It's good that you have all your blood work done so it's got nothing to do with you personally! So, let's see could it be your work environment? Do you/other staff disinfect the toys, activities regularly? If a child gets sick do you wash everything within the room that they could have touched to eliminate the spread of germs? Do the carpets/mats get washed regularly? Do you wear gloves, wash hands often etc.? You could even by the hand sanitizer and use them on your hands throughout the day as well as washing. During the Winter months, it's the worst and you will fall sick often. Children come to the centre-half sick already, spread all their germs then everyone else seems to get them. So, it's important that you try and disinfect and make your centre as germ-free as possible! If your centre doesn't get cleaned, the toys don't get cleaned regularly, this could be causing you to be sick!

,
Lorina

[Lorina]

This may also help:

Educator's Guide To Staying Healthy In Winter

,
Lorina

[JaneB]

Thank you very much for that article. We have had some issues at the center with illnesses spreading not just for the educators but for the children. We get a lot of children who come in despite being sick but I expect that is quite normal, although it seems like nearly every child constantly has a cold of some sort. We all get colds and have snotty noses and bad coughs but the children are still working on covering their mouths and washing their hands so it's hard to keep things contained. We do clean our mattresses and cots, do wear gloves when necessary, regularly clean our toys. I wash my hands a lot and we have hand sanitizer on the wall that I am using throughout the day also. We are trying our hardest here and my co-workers within the room do not get as sick as me and not as frequently so I have no idea why it seems to happen to me more than them. I will speak to my co-workers about cleaning the room a bit more thoroughly and the toys as well as this is the only thing I can think of that we could do better. The children are constantly putting things in their mouths without thinking about it so that could be another thing although we try to encourage children to do this as little as possible it can be a little dangerous.

I am kind of at a loss with this issue ):

[Lorina]

You mentioned in one of your posts above that you see other educators standing around while you get on the floor with the children etc. So, that could explain why you get sick so quickly while the other educators don't. If you are amongst the kids, engaging with them, playing with them, interacting with them etc. you are going to get coughed on, snotted on and everything in between! The number of times that I've had kids coughed on my face or sneezed on me... gross but hey they are kids, it happens and we can't expect that great hygiene from them. Most of these infections are airborne, so 1 kids that sneeze or coughs without covering their mouth could cause you to get sick imagine the whole centre of kids! So, don't be too hard on yourself!

Also, you mentioned the children putting things in their mouth. When that happens, take the toy and put in a bucket to wash later or if you're able to wash and then and let it dry that is good as well. So that could help eliminate germs...

Regarding your immunity, it does toughen up! My first couple of years were hell for my immunity and I got sick fairly often, however, it's pretty tough now and I haven't gotten the flu or cold for quite awhile (knock on wood). When my daughter gets the flu or viral infection etc. she coughs, spits, sneezes all over me and I guess my immunity can handle it. As for my husband he gets it, within a few days... So, I guess my body is immune to common colds and touches of flu!

You'll be right!

Just get through the winter and you'll be fine for the rest of the year!

,
Lorina